


Twenty Five Seconds

by Annorahrose



Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Angst, F/M, Sherlolly - Freeform, mollock
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:27:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26503636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annorahrose/pseuds/Annorahrose
Summary: Sherlock is given two choices - shatter Molly’s heart or watch her die.
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/Molly Hooper
Comments: 26
Kudos: 94





	Twenty Five Seconds

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Paragon](https://archiveofourown.org/works/913659) by [AsteraceaeBlue](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsteraceaeBlue/pseuds/AsteraceaeBlue). 



> There are twenty five seconds between when Sherlock first sees the engraved plate on the coffin and when he says Molly’s name in The Final Problem.
> 
> It’s my very first ficlet!!! Hey, I take joy in the little things 😉
> 
> *Note - I own nothing. Quotes are taken directly from The Final Problem. All hail the great Gatiss and Moffat.

**I LOVE YOU**

Oh God.

Oh God.

_Oh God._

His thoughts started racing, right along with his breathing and his heartbeat. Eurus had certainly done her homework. Sherlock had no idea how his sister had found out anything about Molly. He never mentioned her while they were walking the streets of London the night she posed as a madman’s daughter. He didn’t think John would have mentioned anything about her when she posed as his therapist or as she tried to manipulate him into some sort of twisted affair. How had she even known Molly existed?

_“Only is isn’t a name.”_

It could only be Molly. Eurus chose the only person in the world who not only had deep, long-standing and unchanging romantic feelings for Sherlock, but who also held a piece of his heart, whether he admitted it or not. Enough of it for the exercise before him to hurt - really, really hurt. This wasn’t going to be something he could just shrug off. If Molly was killed, it would cripple him psychologically. If she was killed because of him... he wasn’t sure he could cope at all. Mary’s death had come very close to destroying him - Molly... no. Just no.

_“So, it’s for somebody who loves... somebody.”_

Love. Would he ever escape from the consequences of that damnable emotion?How many times had Mycroft warned him about the dangers of love, of sentiment? It clouded the brain. It offered nothing but distraction and could only serve to interfere with the one thing that made his life worth living - the work. People counted on him to be at his best. He needed to be at his best - to be *the* best. If he wasn’t, what was he good for?

_“It’s for somebody who loves Sherlock. This is all about you, everything here. So who loves you? I’m assuming it’s not a long list.”_

Janine had never loved him. She was attracted to him, surely, but it was never real love. Even as he proposed to her over a lift security camera he knew that. She would jump at the chance to be a part of his life: a sexy, brilliant, famous partner. But it would only be for show. Loving *him* would be much different; much more difficult. Very few people loved him for who he was. Not the genius, not the money, not the celebrity. It took a special kind of person to look past the deductions, the insults, and the manipulative behavior and appreciate the man that he was once all his defenses were stripped away. That could never be Janine.

_“Irene Adler?”_

Irene. Yes, there was more than a little mutual attraction there. She had become someone who meant... something to him. Enough to pull her from beneath an executioners sword. Enough for him to actually keep a trinket from their escapades. Enough to elicit a private smile at her memory. She had desired him, he knew that. She was attracted to more than his looks - she coveted his mind. But then, she had worked with Moriarty too. His bloodlust for Sherlock was no surprise to her. She certainly didn’t love him. And even if he did allow himself to indulge in that emotion, he could never love her.

Tears gathered in his eyes. He attempted to blink them back, his breathing still a bit labored.

_“Don’t be ridiculous, look at the coffin. Unmarried, practical about death, alone...”  
_

Unmarried. Alone. Because she loved him. She had landed in the sights of James Moriarty because she loved him. She broke off her engagement because she loved him. Her heart - her sweet, strong, beautiful heart was denied the joy of loving someone and being loved in return for the sole reason that she was devoted to him, down to his very soul. She literally couldn’t give her heart to anyone else. It had made its home in Sherlock, and he knew she had no way of retrieving it.

_“Molly_.”

He had two options - crush her heart or watch her die.

_“Molly Hooper.”_

**Author's Note:**

> A (theoretical) small peek into the mind of our favorite mad genius. Hope you liked it - and just to let you know, my undying gratitude can be bought for the low-low cost of a review (I’ve made that joke before, but nothing better was coming to mind - and recycling is a good thing, right?).


End file.
